Mousetrap Vehicle C

[packer-backer91]

My vehicle when it started was over 3 seconds faster than the one that I took to Regional’s [didn't replace the traps]

Wow so you just went in to regionals knowing it could have been 3 seconds faster? It's a good thing you actually kept track of your times the whole way through. I'm debating whether or not 6 points at states is worth making a new vehicle...

I STRONGLY disagree on your stance of changing anything on your vehicle the day before [can have potential to change your performance]

That is a good point. I had to do a lot of testing again the day I made the new car just to get the distance right and I never really got it as good as I wanted... I was 27 cm off at regionals.

this may sound bad but, yes I knew that if new mousetraps were added we would have done even better. It came down to the decision to save "the good stuff" [our new mouse traps for only state]. This sounds like overconfidence but I knew that the performance of our vehicle will out score any vehicle in my region.

Now as far as the 6 points to build a new vehicle to me I would just look for areas where I could improve the existing model without having to make a new one. I really don’t know how completive your state is in that event what one person thinks is hard may be easy to others. Many people think their state is very completive but how do we know this really [it’s the best team that makes it to Nationals and no team gets 1st in all 23 events]. For example my Regional design was only 1/10 worse than the 1St team from New York [state scoring]. It was my opinion that this vehicle if it would have went to state would be 20ish [give or take some]. This may be my opinion of my state being very completive I can remember that my 197/200 was only good enough for 5th at State in Electric Vehicle. Being so close to my State comp I don’t even want to put the time range that I am aiming for, I got the opportunity to observe some of the other best vehicles in my State which made my completely change expectations. I would certainly try to get every point off of your score as possible unless you are 100% sure all the teams are not as good as your vehicle

[packer-backer91]

I test the morning of... On the same floor... To test the floor, due to the fact that I've found that my testing place isn't very reliable.

sorry for the double post but if that was a joke its funny. But seriously you can’t do that at State the building is locked [I went there at 6:45am last year to get a get our Electric Vehicle locked into the slope of the floor. The slope of the floor is deferent EVERYWHERE. Nowhere has a perfect gym floor. I wanted to get two test runs on the floor so that I can adjust the vehicle to get the times to what I wanted them to be [didn't happen and we got all 3 points off on our time score]. I would like to see the day before a compaction be open for practice runs for build it events on the surface that they will be tested on. This year that is big slopes on floor with so light and weak driven vehicles can lead to inaccurate vehicles!

[franklinknights]

I test the morning of... On the same floor... To test the floor, due to the fact that I've found that my testing place isn't very reliable.[/quote]


sorry for the double post but if that was a joke its funny. But seriously you can’t do that at State the building is locked [I went there at 6:45am last year to get a get our Electric Vehicle locked into the slope of the floor. The slope of the floor is deferent EVERYWHERE. Nowhere has a perfect gym floor. I wanted to get two test runs on the floor so that I can adjust the vehicle to get the times to what I wanted them to be [didn't happen and we got all 3 points off on our time score]. I would like to see the day before a compaction be open for practice runs for build it events on the surface that they will be tested on. This year that is big slopes on floor with so light and weak driven vehicles can lead to inaccurate vehicles![/quote]

to help this out, Illinois has decided to let you use the building the day before !

and for genereal info, mousetrap springs doloose efficency after 25 trials or so (i know cuz i tested)
so i suggest you use industrial velcro ur mose traps down so they can be replaceable

[packer-backer91]

to help this out, Illinois has decided to let you use the building the day before !

and for genereal info, mousetrap springs doloose efficency after 25 trials or so (i know cuz i tested)
so i suggest you use industrial velcro ur mose traps down so they can be replaceable

that 25 fact is mouse trap dependent. There are things that make each mouse trap unique and thus will loose their pull at different rates. You can’t put a number on the amount of trials that it takes for the spring to loose power in fact they loose some power the moment you use the spring [may not be measurable but happens]. Too many factors can lead a trap to last longer or shorter than other traps to be able to put a number on trials.

[winneratlife]

I test the morning of... On the same floor... To test the floor, due to the fact that I've found that my testing place isn't very reliable.

sorry for the double post but if that was a joke its funny. But seriously you can’t do that at State the building is locked [I went there at 6:45am last year to get a get our Electric Vehicle locked into the slope of the floor. The slope of the floor is deferent EVERYWHERE. Nowhere has a perfect gym floor. I wanted to get two test runs on the floor so that I can adjust the vehicle to get the times to what I wanted them to be [didn't happen and we got all 3 points off on our time score]. I would like to see the day before a compaction be open for practice runs for build it events on the surface that they will be tested on. This year that is big slopes on floor with so light and weak driven vehicles can lead to inaccurate vehicles!

Really? Me and like 5 other teams did it at regionals. We don't go early, just, during impound, ya know?

[bwy]

It came down to the decision to save "the good stuff" [our new mouse traps for only state]. This sounds like overconfidence but I knew that the performance of our vehicle will out score any vehicle in my region.

Save the good stuff? Mousetraps only cost about 2 dollars right? And my region is really competitive. Troy's car, which I saw at regionals, probably had a time of about 12 seconds and a distance score of 3.7 cm. It's pretty hard to beat a score of -4.3

[packer-backer91]

It came down to the decision to save "the good stuff" [our new mouse traps for only state]. This sounds like overconfidence but I knew that the performance of our vehicle will out score any vehicle in my region.

Save the good stuff? Mousetraps only cost about 2 dollars right? And my region is really competitive. Troy's car, which I saw at regionals, probably had a time of about 12 seconds and a distance score of 3.7 cm. It's pretty hard to beat a score of -4.3

I didn't need to replace them in order to have a good vehicle for regional’s but for my state I needed to get some better stuff I remain completive.
Winneratlife: You will not get to do that state I am 100% sure that you will not be able to do have any runs the day of down there. I have gone to State the last 5 years [this year will be 6] and never has that been allowed!

[Flavorflav]

Did anyone put in a clarification on this? The rules say that holes may be drilled in the base; they do not say that holes may only be drilled to attach the mousetrap. I know it has no official standing, but the National Event Supervisor told us at a coaches' clinic that there was no limit to the size or number of the holes drilled in the mousetrap base.

Really? When and where was this clinic at? How did you know it was the national event supervisor, I tried looking this information up on the soinc website and couldn't find a listing of National Event Supervisors.

But if the National Event Supervisor tells you that it's okay, then it must be okay right (at the very least at the National level)? Since they'd be the ones scoring the event at Nationals.

*edit meant soinc website not scioly.

Well, he said he was the National event Supervisor, and the State Director said he was the National Event Supervisor, and I believe he had a little name tag saying National Event Supervisor, but I suppose it is theoretically possible that they were all making it up. The clinic was in Poughkeepsie, NY, on October 20somethingth.

[winneratlife]

It came down to the decision to save "the good stuff" [our new mouse traps for only state]. This sounds like overconfidence but I knew that the performance of our vehicle will out score any vehicle in my region.

Save the good stuff? Mousetraps only cost about 2 dollars right? And my region is really competitive. Troy's car, which I saw at regionals, probably had a time of about 12 seconds and a distance score of 3.7 cm. It's pretty hard to beat a score of -4.3

I didn't need to replace them in order to have a good vehicle for regional’s but for my state I needed to get some better stuff I remain completive.
Winneratlife: You will not get to do that state I am 100% sure that you will not be able to do have any runs the day of down there. I have gone to State the last 5 years [this year will be 6] and never has that been allowed!

That ruined my day...
So I now have to waste my first run to calibrate?...

RAWR

Not cool

[Gooblah]

Alright, so I managed to finish building the mousetrap vehicle, but with one significant problem: it doesn't go backward. Which is odd. The winding is correct (clockwise -> once around pin -> counter clockwise), but when I release the lever arm it simply stops halfway. When I push the lever arm forward to simulate how the vehicle would move, it goes forward a bit more then starts moving backward, indicating the problem is perhaps in the mousetrap itself? Has anyone run into a similar issue?